Helping You Help Yourself: And Where to Get Started

Well, I’m going to do you one better. To be announced this week is the introduction of an entire book online devoted to helping you find real-world resources in your community to better help yourself in a time of need. In cooperation with the publishers and authors of this book — the American Self-Help Clearinghouse and Northwest Covenant Medical Center, Barbara J. White and Edward J. Madara, respectively — Psych Central will be bringing this entire book to you in a free electronic format! While this book usually sells for a minimal cost (around $10), it is chock full of useful information. It contains descriptions and listings of specific resources throughout the world that exist to help people find out additional information on specific disorders, where a self-help group meets in their local community, or how to begin a brand new self-help group in your community if one does not exist. Useful and important information will now be available at your fingertips. Information on exactly how to access the book will be placed here as soon as we have it up.

I can’t think of a more useful information resource to put on the Web, and this one was relatively easy to do so.

I had to go, unfortunately, to a twice-monthly update of this editorial because although I have lots to say (who doesn’t?!?), I’m running out of time to say it all. Things at work have really picked up as we move into full development of the software and lexicon for a product that will allow professionals to dictate directly into their computer, using normal speech. This last part is important because it’s called “continuous speech recognition.” Everything on the market today is something different, called “discrete” or “broken” speech recognition, because it requires the user to pause inbetween each word in a very unnatural way (users have to train themselves to talk this way!). Well, with the system we’re developing at work in conjunction with Philips Electronics, there’s no awkward re-learning how to speak… (Imagine… Humans have to change their behaviors to satisfy the computer’s needs! Ha!) Natural speech dictation and full recognition of vocabulary and medications commonly used in mental health today are all a part of this product, due to be released early 3Q 1996. It’s cool stuff. If you’re a professional, we’ll be demonstrating this amazing new technology at both APA conventions.

If you thought that was too commercial-y, sorry! Didn’t mean for it to sound that way… I just think this technology is pretty cutting-edge and amazing to see in person. On to other stuff… I put the next recipients of the “Best of the Web in Mental Health” awards up, which are now available for your perusal. Updates of the Web pointer and mailing list pointer will also come out this week.

We had 60-degree days here this weekend in Columbus! Wow. That was a nice break from the Winter weather, let me tell you!!

If you want the whole shi-bang of over 3,000 separate resources that have to do with psychiatry and mental health online, then you might want to visit Psych Central. It appears in the March 1996 issue of NetGuide with a 4-star rating! And it’s the largest and most comprehensive site of its kind in the world and we’re looking to build upon it in the upcoming years, acting as a super guide to mental health online. If you didn’t find what you needed here, look there next!

That’s all for this week… As always, keep in good mental health!

-John

Helping You Help Yourself: And Where to Get Started

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John M. Grohol, Psy.D.

Dr. John Grohol is the founder & CEO of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Computers in Human Behavior and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine. He writes regularly and extensively on mental health concerns, the intersection of technology and psychology, and advocating for greater acceptance of the importance and value of mental health in today's society. You can learn more about Dr. John Grohol here.

APA Reference Grohol, J. (2016). Helping You Help Yourself: And Where to Get Started. Psych Central.
Retrieved on November 20, 2018, from https://psychcentral.com/lib/helping-you-help-yourself-and-where-to-get-started/

Last updated: 17 Jul 2016Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 17 Jul 2016Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.